Medieval
Manuscripts
Eddas and Sagas
 Some of Iceland’s national treasures are on display in the Culture House’s featured exhibition Medieval Manuscripts – Eddas and Sagas. It includes medieval vellum manuscripts such as law codices and Christian works, not to forget the Sagas of Icelanders. Important paper manuscripts from later centuries are also displayed.
The old vellum manuscripts preserve the Northern classical heritage:
unique sagas, poems and narratives which are often our sole written
sources of information on the society, religion and world view of
the people of Northern Europe from pagan times through the tumult
of Viking Expansion, the settlement of the Atlantic Islands and
the period of Christianisation.
The exhibition focuses on the period preceding the writing of the
manuscripts, their origins and role, manuscript collecting, editions,
and on their reception in Iceland and abroad. It also portrays the
process of book making itself: preparing the vellum and ink, writing,
illuminating etc. are explained in a special exhibit area.
There is an open guided
tour of the exhibition in English on Mondays and Fridays at 3:00
pm.
Opened 5 October 2002,
on permanent view
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ICELAND :: FILM
Berlin - Copenhagen -
Reykjavík
 The ICELAND::FILM exhibition traces for the first time the development of Icelandic filmmaking from its origins around 1904 to the year 2009.
Icelandic filmmaking reflects the role generally played by art – to mirror sociocultural evolution and serve as a platform where questions are asked and experiments made. According to the curators, the opposition between myths and modernity, and traditions and globalisation, is a frequent theme of Icelandic films in all categories; documentaries, literature and Saga adaptations, feature films, short films and experimental films.
Specially assembled film excerpts give insight into the atmosphere and theme of significant films. On four “film islands”, one for each genre; feature film, documentary, short film and literature adaptation, a total of approximately 100 films can be selected and viewed in full length.
Designed in terms of a public archive, the exhibition provides a comprehensive overview of Icelandic filmmaking and thus Iceland’s social and cultural history over the past 100 years. The composition and structural design of this travelling exhibition works as an open system: it can be upgraded with new productions and further historical material. New topics may even be integrated. The exhibition has been prolonged and on that occasion additional film excerpts from recent movies have been added.
Curators – idea/ concept/ exhibition design: Sabine Schirdewahn and Matthias Wagner K - Berlin
From 28 March 2009 for an unspecified time
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Icelanders
 Icelanders is an exhibition of a selection of photographs from the book of the same name by author Unnur Jökulsdóttir and photographer Sigurgeir Sigurjónsson, published in 2004. Published in four language versions – Icelandic, English, German and French – the book was very well received both in Iceland and abroad. It was nominated for the Icelandic Literary Award.
Unnur and Sigurgeir set out to capture the spirit of the Icelandic nation in words and images: they travelled all over the country for two years, visiting people, talking to them and taking photographs. They found that there are two nations living in Iceland – the city-dwellers, and the people who live in the regions: those who live on remote headlands and upland crofts, in isolated valleys and fjords far from the beaten path. These people are attuned to the land and its nature, moulded by their environment. And these were the people who captured their imagination, and became the subject of the book.
The photographic exhibition Icelanders has previously been shown at the Nordic arts festival Les Boréales in France.
From 2 February 2010 to 16 January 2011 |
The Library Room
 The
Library Room, the old reading room of the National Library, features
an exhibit selected and arranged by the National and University
Library. On display are many of the landmark books of Icelandic
cultural history, dating from the introduction of printing in the
sixteenth century to the present day. These include the oldest published
versions of the Sagas of Icelanders, Sagas of the Kings of Norway
and Eddic poems, Hallgrímur Pétursson’s Psalms
of Christ’s Passion and Vidalín’s Homilies, popular
educational works from the Enlightenment, law codices and land registers,
cultural journals and folktale collections from the nineteenth century,
the works of Nobel laureate Halldór Laxness and other writers,
selected books of poetry and much more.
A number of changing themed
exhibitions run throughout the year in the Library Room. It serves
as a bright and elegant setting for concerts, meetings, lectures
and other events held at the Culture House.
Opened 20 April 2000,
on permanent view
In the Light of Tomorrow – Sigurður A. Magnússon; writer, critic, translator, activist
 Sigurður A. Magnússon is a writer in an incredibly broad sense. Sigurður has over the years worked as an editor, reporter, critic, translator, the writer of travel books and promotional publications, and last but not least he wrote an autobiographic novel that many consider the back bone of his published works.
Sigurður is among the nation’s most prolific translators of literature. He has written books and essays on Iceland and Iceland’s culture for foreign readers and translated a great deal of Icelandic poetry to English. He has, furthermore, translated poems from various languages to Icelandic; his pioneering effort as the translator of modern Greek poetry is especially noteworthy. For the past two decades Sigurður has focused on translating novels.
Sigurður has, for the longest time, guided Icelandic travellers in Greece and also in the Near East, India, Nepal, Japan and Brazil. He has written books based on travel through Greece, India and Ireland.
Sigurður has worked diligently for social causes and has been president of many an association. He was the first president of the united Writer’s Union of Iceland. He has been active as a critic, columnist, editor and participant in discussions and debates. His story is the story of the intellectual and writer who allows his fervour to light up critical thinking, who dares to have visions, and takes a stand independent of party lines regarding important social issues.
Sigurður is an honorary member of both the Writer’s Union and the Association of Translators and Interpreters.
From 24 April 2010 to 15 January 2011 |
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The Nation and Nature
 The nature film the Nation and Nature by filmmaker Páll Steingrímsson is screened continuously during opening hours. In addition to man, the characters in the film are the animals around us, the Icelandic dog, horse, puffin, eider, goose and seal. Steingrímsson captures the contact between man and nature in a sensitive way where respect for the subject matter comes first.
The film is 30 minutes long and one can sit down to enjoy it at any time.
From 10 March 2010
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Flora Islandica
 The publication Flora Islandica, with 271 real-size drawings by Eggert Pétursson of flowers in Icelandic nature, has been put on view in the Culture House. The book is published in 500 numbered and signed copies.
The Culture House displays the book as it is a grand appendage to the nation’s heritage regarding books and publications. Its display also regards the history of the Natural History Museum and its operation here in the Culture House for decades in the last century.
Eggert Pétursson has gained a reputation for his paintings of Icelandic Flora, especially his oil paintings of flowers, which have positioned him among Iceland’s best known contemporary artists. Eggert Pétursson originally drew the pictures for the book Icelandic Flora with colour drawings by Ágúst H. Bjarnason, issued in 1983. The drawings were diminished in that publication and have not been printed in their original size until now in Flora Islandica.
The book is designed by graphic designers Snæfríð Þorsteins and Hildigunnur Gunnarsdóttir and they have been granted prices for the design here in Iceland and abroad. The desk the book is displayed on was designed by artist Daníel Magnússon who has become renowned for his artwork as well as his furniture design.
The book is published by Crymogea publishing.
From 7 October 2009 for an unspecified time |
Kúlan starts to play
 Textile designer Bryndís Bolladóttir (b. 1973) displays her latest product; kúlan, or the ball, at the current art show in the Culture House shop and café.
Kúlan (the ball) is made of Icelandic felted wool. It takes on different functions, such as; hanger, toy, tablemat, decor, stool and sound absorber.
Bryndís Bolladóttir graduated from the art division of Breiðholt College and then proceeded to the textile department of Iceland Academy of the Arts, receiving her degree in 1999. She has also studied at Konstfack art school in Sweden.
See further information on Bryndís Bolladóttir and her work on her website: www.bryndisbolladottir.com.
The exhibition will be on view from 21 May and into fall 2010.
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Exhibitions in the Meeting Rooms
 The
meeting rooms on the 2nd and 3rd floors in the west wing of the building
are open to the public on Sundays.
Opened 20 April 2000, on permanent view,
Sundays
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